Concrete, in its hardened state, is a hard, strong building material used in the formation of domestic, commercial and industrial facilities. Concrete is strong in compression, but relatively weak in tension. The reverse is true for slender steel rods. But when the two materials are used together, one makes up for the deficiency of the other. When steel is embedded into concrete in a manner that assists it in carrying an imposed load, the combination of a welded wire mesh or an expanded metal mesh, but more commonly consisting of steel bars, with the concrete creates a very strong building material.
Reinforced concrete has become the most common material in foundations for buildings because it has the advantage of acting as a monolithic member; it resists moisture penetration better than foundations made of many units with many joints. Further, reinforced concrete, because of its ability to support weight, not only finds frequent application in foundation structures, but also various other domestic, highway, commercial and industrial applications. Furthermore, reinforced concrete finds applications in lintels, which are horizontal architectural members spanning and usually supporting a load above a relatively wide opening, such as those found above windows and doors.
Reinforced concrete blocks are commonly precast; that is, reinforced concrete blocks are fabricated at a place other than its final point of use. It can be done anywhere, although this procedure is best adapted to a factory or to an outside commercial facility. The precast, reinforced concrete blocks vary in size, in width, and in depth, but usually are of a relatively large size having a typical weight given in tons; for example, eight (8) tons.
The relatively heavy precast, reinforced concrete blocks are commonly provided with rods, sometimes referred to as hooks, that extend or protrude out of the block and are used to assist in their transportation, movement and manipulation. The hooks are commonly inserted into the associated precast, reinforced concrete block prior to its hardening, remain therein and become an integral part thereof, and are capable of supporting the weight of the associated block so as to accommodate its movement. For example, a hoisting apparatus, such as a crane, may have means for attaching to these extending hooks so that the precast, reinforced concrete block is hoisted and manipulated into its final in-place position as an architectural structural member for a highway or for a domestic, commercial or industrial facility.
The extending hooks usually have a blunt outer end and are commonly provided with cap or cover members having a tubular member with an inner diameter thereof chosen so as to provide frictional engagement when the cover member is inserted over the outer diameter of the extending hook. The cover member serves the function of confining the blunt hook, which may otherwise be hazardous during transportation, and also provides a barrier that is used to mate and blend the blunt hook into its contacting architectural member, such as a concrete wall. The barrier prevents the extending hook from physically contacting the architectural member so that the hook does not cause any discoloring thereof or other undesired chemical reaction therebetween usually created by water or moisture reacting with the material comprising the hook. The cover member is selected of material that allows it to mate with unhardened cement and later become bonded thereto. Although the tubular cover member serves its intended purposes, it does suffer drawbacks in that the frictional contact is insufficient to allow the cover member to remain with the hook of the precast, reinforced concrete blocks during the transportation, hoisting, or manipulation of the block into place within a structural facility, such as a building. Further, the cover member, having a tubular member, is lacking in any provision that allows for the associated precast, reinforced concrete member to experience the full range of its operational movement, such as possibly occurring during expansion or contraction conditions of the facility in which the precast, reinforced concrete block is placed. It is desired that a cover member be provided that does not suffer the drawbacks of the prior art tubular cover member.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide a cover member that mechanically engages and stays with the hook of a precast, relatively heavy precast, reinforced concrete block as the block is being transported, manipulated and mated to its associated architectural structural member.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a cover member that allows the precast, reinforced concrete block, in particular, the hook rod extending from the concrete block to be merged with a concrete wall and provide a water barrier therebetween.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a cover member that allows for a relatively heavy, precast, reinforced concrete block to be mated with a stationary member but still allows for relative movement therebetween as the precast, reinforced concrete block experiences operational movement.
Further objects and features of the present invention will become evident hereinafter.